Week 6: Unmasking the Illusion of Thoughts
In Week 6, a profound insight emerged: “Thoughts are not facts.” This simple yet challenging concept urges us to break the cycle of unquestionably believing our thoughts. Our inclination to turn beliefs into perceived truths often creates real situations that might not have occurred otherwise.
This cognitive pattern, rooted in our early experiences or triggered by traumatic events, significantly influences our responses to similar scenarios. The state of our mind before an event determines our approach, leading us to act with emotions rather than rationality.
The Inner Critic:
Reflecting on my past, I realized I harbored a deep-seated belief that “I was not loved enough.” This thought became a constant companion during challenging situations, stemming from the impressions my parents left on me—an unloving mother and a non-responsible father. The repetition of this belief solidified it as my truth, and I carried this baggage without understanding its negative impact on my life and relationships.
This pattern, named the “propaganda machine of the mind” by mindfulness, was not necessarily tied to specific past events, making it challenging to uncover the truth. Despite years passing, I struggled to let go. The MBCT 8-week course became a revelation, complementing the progress I had already made through various techniques and life choices.
The propaganda machine of the mind
source MBCT content course with Nick at https://evolvingminds.org.uk/
This tendency of the mind to get lost in its own story has been compared to propaganda. Propaganda works by repeating something as a truth that may have no basis in truth to the point that it is believed. Certain beliefs and ways of thinking about the world may have been repeated enough times in our mind that we now believe them: “I’m a fool”; “no-one will love me”; “I’m a waste of space”; “I’ll always fail”; “I’m so ugly”. These can be very debilitating thoughts, and with such thoughts, it can be useful to remind oneself that “thoughts are not facts”, such thoughts are just propaganda in the mind, something that’s been repeated so often we now believe it to be true. Often if we ask our friends their opinion of us they would not recognise the person our inner propaganda machine tells us we are. Instead, they see someone with qualities they love and respect but which we so often do not recognise or acknowledge.
Homework for Week 6: Tools for Transformation:
Loving Kindness Practice
Breathing Space Meditation
Stopping the Propaganda Machine: Selected Methods
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- Visualising thoughts in a rising bubble
- Naming the story
- Worry time (writing it down)
- Focusing on senses
- Using meditation space to reflect on thoughts as non-facts
- Utilizing a meaningful phrase to counter thoughts
- Journal keeping
- Gratitude log
As we conclude this post, I hope it sparks your curiosity to delve deeper into the world of Cognitive Meditation. Feel free to share your thoughts or experiences in the comments—I would love to hear from you!
Namaste.